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EDITOR’S NOTE
Our contribution to the 2024 Homeless Crisis Reporting Project
ANNEMARIE CUCCIA Editor in Chief
rom Oct. 7 - 11, outlets across D.C. are coming together to report on homelessness in honor of World Homeless Day on Oct. 10.
FStreet Sense has coordinated this effort, the Homeless Crisis Reporting Project, since 2016. It initially began as a news blitz on one day, intended to encourage other local outlets to focus on homelessness. We’re thrilled to now have over a dozen partners, many of whom report on homelessness regularly. In recent years, we expanded the project to last a week, so readers have more time to take in the fantastic stories.
2022 was a big year for the project. In addition to a rebrand, we launched a guide to reporting on homelessness for journalists across the nation to use. We intended to keep up that momentum in 2023 but were forced to pause the project due to devastating staff cuts.
So we’re even more proud to be back this year, with 15 partners — 730DC, Axios D.C., the Eagle, the Georgetown Voice, Greater Greater Washington, the DC Line, Washington Blade, Washington City Paper, the GW Hatchet, the Washington Informer, the Hoya, the 51st, City Cast DC, and Heart-Centered DC. Each outlet will be publishing at least one story this week, so make sure to check them out!
You can read summaries of all the contributions to the crisis project and find links to the full stories at bit.ly/DCHCRP. The site will be updated throughout the week with stories about anti-homeless policies, housing developments, and resources for people experiencing homelessness.
In the theme of getting our momentum back, we also released an update to our guide to reporting on homelessness: a new glossary of 26 terms essential to understanding homelessness. The glossary can be found on the site bit.ly/DCHCRP and is free to use for anyone who writes about homelessness and housing policy. We’ll share parts of the guide in the newspaper over the next few months.
I hope you enjoy all the reporting coming out this week, and this issue, which is our contribution to the project. Though not all the stories are about homelessness explicitly, I hope they give you insight into the complex system that makes homelessness and housing insecurity a real threat for many District residents.
Empowered reading, Annemarie
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Encampment Update: Nine encampments closed so far this fall
CAROLINA BOMNEY AND TIERRA CUNNINGHAM
Georgetown Contributing Writer and Editorial Intern
D.C. closed nine encampments, did “full-clean ups” at six others, and postponed two scheduled closures due to bad weather between Aug. 27 and Oct. 8. This is an increase from the same period in 2023, during which D.C. closed two encampments and did five clean-ups.
On Oct. 2, Leon, the only resident of an encampment on the corner of 16th and New York Avenue NE, moved his belongings across the street before The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (DMHHS) closed his encampment. That morning, Leon called the upcoming encampment closure “a form of oppression.”
Leon, who only gave his first name, said he had been living in the corner of the Exxon gas station since the city closed his encampment at the bridge down the street a couple of months ago. That area, he said, has “become dirtier” since he left.
By 10:20 a.m., there were 16 people at Leon’s encampment: city employees from organizations such as the Department of Human Services and the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), government-contracted outreach workers from Community Connections, and a lawyer from the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.
D.C.’s Department of Public Works first came in to clean up the trash. Then Community Bridge biohazard engineer Virgil Martin sprayed the area with Spic and Span. The area was not power-washed and remnants of food and small cardboard pieces remained.
According to the DMHHS website, the encampment was closed for biohazard removal and because the space has to be clear at all times. “Got to make it safe, that’s what I do,” Martin said. When asked about the encampment, a passerby told Street Sense Leon had always been nice and they would speak on occasion. A driver who knew Leon stopped to give him supplies.
Leon watched the closure from the street’s median island and said he planned to move his belongings back later. “It’s a shuffle game,” Martin said.
The next day, Oct. 3, DMHHS closed an encampment along a fenced-off hill in Eckington behind a high-rise apartment building with signs advertising it was “now leasing.” Andre, 43,
was the only resident present and protested the clearing. He told Street Sense the city had closed the encampment once before in 2022, and he lost all his possessions, “lost everything.”
The city did not remove Andre’s belongings during this closure, however, as they were the furthest from the fence under the highway tunnel and fell beyond the perimeter of the engagement, according to DMHHS employees. City workers did remove the tent, mattress, and belongings of another resident, who Andre said worked from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and thus wasn’t present. Andre, who only gave his first name, said he has a place to stay overnight but he can’t bring all his belongings there, so he relies on the encampment for storage. Andre shared videos with Street Sense of him collecting trash from the entire encampment and keeping it tidy.
According to the DMHHS website, the city closed the encampment for biohazard removal and because the space has to be clear.
Before the closure began, Andre told DMHHS and DBH personnel that he was not aware of the scheduled clearing, saying the required metal notice was on the outside of the fence, which he doesn’t see on his way in. A DMHHS spokesperson told Street Sense that both the standard metal signage on the fence and adhesive sticker notices on identified structures in both English and Spanish were placed in the encampment site. Street Sense reporters did not see any sticker notices within the encampment structures when they arrived.
By 12:30 p.m., the 80-yard stretch of the fence was bulldozed to the ground. A condom and rags remained on the exposed earth.
“The purpose of scheduled Encampment Protocol Engagements is to remove all identified bulk items along with hazardous materials as identified on public space,” a spokesperson for DMHHS wrote in an email to Street Sense. “Per DMHHS’ awareness, these tasks were completed accordingly.”
Additional cleaning by the Department of Public Works is usually a separately scheduled engagement, the spokesperson wrote.
During September, DMHHS also closed encampments in the West End, Foggy Bottom, Logan Circle, Waterfront, East End, Navy Yard, and Ivy City neighborhoods, though Street Sense was not able to attend the closures. The city also conducted clean-ups at encampments across downtown and U Street.
The area of an encampment resident who wasn’t present at the Oct. 3 closure, before and after.
Photos by Madi Koesler
Leon looks on as city workers remove his encampment on Oct. 2.
Photo by Madi Koesler
How the benefits cliff traps people in poverty
JACK WALKER Volunteer Freelance Reporter
magine two single parents raising toddlers in D.C. One makes an annual salary of $65,000, while the other earns $11,000 a year by working part-time. Their financial situations seem quite different; the parent paid more has much more money at their disposal, right?
Financial analysts say not necessarily. These Washingtonians likely have similar amounts to spend each month, and not because one uses their dollars more judiciously. Experts chalk it up to a phenomenon known as the benefits cliff.
In the United States, many public assistance resources — like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — are based on income. For people with the greatest financial need, public benefits programs make it possible to pay grocery bills, child care costs, and even rent.
Generally speaking, the less someone earns, the more resources they receive. But these programs also come with income restrictions, which cut residents off from benefits as their salaries rise. For a person earning $65,000 a year, this gap in coverage can stall their spending power at nearly one-eighth of their actual salary, making the road to higher earnings rocky.
A sudden dropoff
Rachelle Ellison is the assistant director of a local housing advocacy group called the People for Fairness Coalition. Her work today is informed by the 17 years she spent navigating homelessness herself, all while struggling with co-occurring health issues like lupus, coronary artery disease, and emphysema.
A certified peer specialist and substance use disorder recovery coach, Ellison said her path to long-term employment has been riddled with obstacles. In 2019, she finally found a full-time job that fit her needs and passion, working as a case manager for a local substance use disorder treatment center.
“I loved that job,” she said. “It was so amazing.”
Then, she learned her Medicaid benefits were about to be terminated. The salary increase from her new job pushed her above the threshold for program eligibility, which left her with a tough choice. If she kept the job, she would have to swap health care plans and forgo months of coverage in the process.
Given her medical history, that felt like too much of a risk. She decided to leave the role.
“Even though these organizations that I work for have great benefits, you have to work 90 days before they take effect,” she said. “I had no insurance coverage. If anything would have happened, I would have been in debt. I had to resign.”
Ellison is not alone. Across the District, low-income residents seeking long-term employment face uncertainty and difficult decisions as they lose access to public benefits.
D.C. has one of the most robust social safety nets in the United States. Take, for example, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a federally funded cash payment program. As of 2022, a D.C. family of three could receive as much as $665 a month in TANF funding, more than they could get in 40 other U.S. states.
But benefits like TANF, SNAP, and the city’s Childcare and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidies are income dependent, which means an increase in household income can be countered with a loss in public assistance. Residents must pay more to cover their needs, which means raises in pay do not always translate to increases in quality of living, or the ability to save up for big purchases.
Plus, living in the District is expensive. This year, the Council for Community and Economic Research found that D.C. has the ninth-highest cost of living out of any city in the nation.
Employers in urban areas tend to pay their workers more, which can offset some of the costs associated with city life. But that higher salary can disqualify households from benefits programs administered by the federal government, which might set participation guidelines based on lower national averages for pay.
For example, while TANF eligibility guidelines vary by state, SNAP eligibility is based on the federal poverty line. Households experiencing financial insecurity by local standards might be overlooked by aid from the national level.
“What ends up happening is that individuals who are on public assistance, because they are making more in a high-cost metro, are closer to income thresholds that will kick them off of public assistance programs,” said Alvaro Sanchez, a senior research analyst with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. “That can pose a pretty serious challenge for people in places like D.C.” Sanchez co-authored a September 2023 paper on the benefits cliff and workforce development efforts in the District. He said a gradual loss in public assistance can jeopardize a low or middleincome household’s long-term financial stability.
In Ellison’s case, an increase in income meant suddenly becoming ineligible for her health care plan, a problem she encountered more than once.
After leaving her job as a case manager, she eventually found another full-time role as a recovery coach at Howard University Hospital. Like clockwork, she was notified that the added pay meant she would lose Medicaid. She chose to depart from that position, too.
Since then, Ellison has settled for part-time and contract work that provides consistent pay, but doesn’t jeopardize health insurance. While she wants the benefits and responsibility of a full-time position, she says the transition period is just too big of a risk.
“Every area that I have been able to overcome barriers, I wanted to get credentialed. I already have the lived expertise to help other people,” she said. “But with these income benefit cliffs, it’s another barrier put in our way.”
Seeking local solutions
Meanwhile, D.C. benefits administrators say they are aware the benefits cliff exists and are launching specific programming to address it.
“Most of our benefits that families and individuals [that are low income] in the District receive are federally supported, and have really strict rules,” said Geoff King with the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS). This means that, for households, the benefits cliff can pose a “penalty for doing what they need to do to advance and earn more.”
In December 2022, DHS launched the D.C. Career Mobility Action Plan, or Career MAP. King serves as program manager, and said Career MAP aims to alleviate the burden on families as they transition out of public assistance programs.
Career MAP provides support to offset decreasing benefits through a “combination” of means, ranging from rent discounts to annual cash payments of up to $10,000 per year, King said. This ensures participants are “keeping much more of those earnings and able to make economic progress as they go.”
As a five-year pilot program, DHS officials are using Career MAP to examine how direct support impacts the long-term financial stability of roughly 500 actively enrolled participants. The program is designed to serve participants who have completed the DHS Family Rehousing Stabilization Program, also known as Rapid Rehousing, which connects people with housing and rental assistance.
King said securing housing marks a first step toward financial security. Then Career MAP aims to help participants manage their benefits, offering guidance and financial support as they build up their annual income.
So far, King said it looks like the program is paying off. Of the roughly 500 households participating, about 70 have increased their income enough to phase off some federal benefits and begin receiving support through the Career MAP program.
King added he hopes the multi-year nature of the program helps support participants’ needs as they arise overtime, as opposed to addressing issues on a short-term, case by case basis. Sanchez’s research paper on the benefits cliff paid particular focus to the Career MAP program. He found the program significantly alleviates the financial burden households incur when they are cut off from public benefits. For a household earning $65,000, their annual net financial resources goes from under $10,000 without the program to more than $30,000 with Career MAP.
Sanchez added the program is distinct in its efforts to directly address the benefits cliff as an issue.
“They’re kind of saying head on, ‘We’re going to structure this workforce development program to actually try and mitigate these benefits cliffs,’” he said. “That’s why this program in D.C. is so unique.”
Ellison said her daughter is currently enrolled in Career MAP, and that the program is “a resource that was definitely needed for mothers and children and families.”
But, as a pilot program, enrollment in Career MAP was limited, and new participants are not yet being considered. Ellison said she hopes the program expands because securing long-term employment can be a years-long ordeal residents are still navigating, often without enough support.
“People are scared to overcome [the benefits cliff] and find work,” she said. “It’s a process, getting the amount of courage it took for me.”
Editor’s note: Ellison is also a Street Sense Media vendor.
Illustration by Jihoo Yang
Security officers at men’s homeless shelter vote to unionize, citing low pay and no training
FRANZISKA WILD Volunteer Freelance Reporter
ecurity staff employed at 801 East Men’s Shelter voted to unionize in an election held on Sept. 9. Officers, including full-time and regular parttime security officers and special police officers, cited being underpaid and undertrained, as well as not receiving benefits or the necessary safety equipment for their roles, as major reasons for unionizing.
801 East Men’s Shelter in Ward 8 is one of the city’s largest lowbarrier shelters for men experiencing homelessness, with 396 beds and a daytime service center. It’s located on St. Elizabeth’s East Campus, owned by the District, and managed by D.C.’s Department of Human Services (DHS), which contracts out to various service providers.
The security staff at the shelter are not directly employed by DHS, but by a third-party company known for parking management, USP Holdings. USP also contracts with both the D.C. Housing Authority and the D.C. Department of General Services to provide parking attendant services and security staff, according to their website.
According to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) website, officers generally voted in favor of unionization, with 39 of the 60 staff who voted supporting the effort. However, the NLRB has not yet certified the outcome of the election. USP has also filed an objection to the union vote, the grounds for the objection aren’t publicly available.
Ikeuri Onunaku, who works as a security officer at the shelter, said it was known amongst officers USP was trying to “fight the union” even though “everything went fair” on the day of the election because, in his words, 801 East is a “cash cow” for the company.
Onunaku told Street Sense USP Holdings actively discouraged officers from unionizing, handing out flyers that told officers to vote against the union. It can be legal for employers to distribute flyers that provide information about unionization, but it is considered an unfair labor practice for employers “to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees” attempting to exercise their rights to organize, according to NLRB. Street Sense was not able to review the flyers USP distributed.
Street Sense reached USP by phone but was told that they “had no comment” on unionization efforts or allegations of a lack of staff training or safety equipment at the shelter.
One of Onunaku’s biggest concerns is the lack of safety equipment and staff training. He noted that at a site like 801 East, security officers are working with residents who may have significant needs, as well as risk factors like drug use and mental illness. He told Street Sense USP does not give officers safety vests, which police and security officers commonly wear to protect their torso and vital organs in emergency situations. Nor do they provide officers with pepper spray, something Onunaku sees as necessary for self-defense, given officers don’t carry any other weapons.
Onunaku and Danielle Campbell, another officer at the shelter, also told Street Sense they were frustrated by the lack of training they received for the role — since working at a shelter is different from being a security officer at a federal office building, for example.
“We bring people back to life,” Onunaku said, referring to the many times he has had to use Narcan (a drug that is administered to reverse opioid overdoses) on residents. But Onunaku hasn’t always known how to administer Narcan — it’s something he learned on the job from other officers.
According to a PowerPoint presented at a Sept. 19 Interagency Council on Homelessness meeting, security officers at shelters are supposed to receive training on hypothermia and medical hypothermia, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Language Line Act, customer service, administering Narcan, working with LGBTQ+ people and youth, being traumainformed, crisis and non-crisis intervention, conflict management, cultural competency, being a mandated reporter, emergency preparedness, boundaries and confidentiality, and fire safety.
Street Sense had Onunaku, who has been working at 801 East for over six months, review the list of trainings, and he said he has not received a single one.
When asked about the lack of training, a spokesperson for DHS told Street Sense they provide security services at the shelter through the Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness, which “requires its security subcontractors to conduct mandatory training for all security guards. Administering Narcan is part of the required training.”
The spokesperson also wrote: “DHS will continue to work closely with its providers to ensure staff across our entire shelter network are trained to provide the highest level of service and support to clients.”
Onunaku told Street Sense officers at the shelter watch out for each other and residents. They usually try and “tag” new officers with a veteran to give them an opportunity to learn, but he wishes USP would provide more specific training for the kind of specialized work they do.
Campbell echoed Onunaku’s desire for more training. She told Street Sense the Special Police Officer license she has doesn’t fully prepare officers for the kind of situations they encounter at 801 East.
She and Onunaku also noted that the low pay they receive was part of the decision to unionize. In their eyes, the pay they receive is not comparable to how much officers are paid at other sites throughout the city.
Onunaku and Campbell both told Street Sense they care about the residents and each other — it’s why they’re unionizing.
“I’m from the community, I know some of these guys, it’s convenience,” Campbell said in describing her choice to work at 801 East. When it comes to unionizing, she said: “it was better for the team.”
Table by Franziska Wild. Data from the National Labor Relations Board website.
The D.C. Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) finalized the city’s winter plan last month as the District heads into hypothermia season with shelters nearly full.
ICH voted Sept. 10 to approve the city’s winter plan for fiscal year 2025. The plan will be in effect from Nov. 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025 and outlines additional resources and expanded shelter capacities intended to keep people experiencing homelessness safe during hypothermia alerts and cold weather emergencies. As the city does each year, D.C. will increase access to shelters and transportation services. This year, the city also hopes to improve communication about the location and transportation schedules for warming buses and sites.
The additional shelter beds are especially crucial this year as D.C. is heading into hypothermia season amid continued reports of shelters nearing or reaching capacity. On the night of Oct. 1, for instance, only five beds for men were vacant, and only two for women. Hundreds of people who don’t rely on shelter year-round seek beds each winter to escape the cold, so the city is expected to need an additional 726 overflow beds this winter.
An ICH spokesperson said District shelter capacities did not reach their maximum last winter and are not projected to this year because officials monitor capacity, utilization, and community concerns to ensure there are enough beds.
According to the plan, the District activates hypothermia alerts when the temperature is expected to be 32 degrees or lower, or 40 degrees if there is a 50% chance of precipitation. A “cold weather emergency” applies to all people in D.C. when temperatures reach 15 degrees or below, or 20 degrees when there has been precipitation for an hour, three inches of snow, or other weather “threats,” which the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency determines. When D.C. officials activate a hypothermia alert, they monitor shelter capacity at low-barrier shelters and open overflow shelter beds as needed.
The ICH Full Council approved the plan on the condition that the team consider changes to the capacity of family homeless shelters, implementing a “threshold criteria” for when the city might have to make more family units available, and update the document as providers determine whether they will deliver supplies and services during a hypothermia alert. ICH will also update the plan with transportation schedules to and from shelters and integrate ways to address respiratory issues once D.C. Health officials adopt a plan for the upcoming year.
Where to seek shelter
To measure shelter needs, ICH’s Shelter Capacity Workgroup collected data on shelter occupancy for men and women last winter. According to the data, depending on whether a hypothermia alert was in effect, between 1,009 and 1,020 men slept in shelter beds on average, and between 423 and 437 women slept in shelters.
With this information, ICH forecasted the District will need 1,635 beds in November — 1,210 for men and 425 for women — 1,678 in December — 1,248
for men and 430 for women — 1,778 in January — 1,288 for men and 490 for women — 1,735 in February — 1,279 for men and 456 for women — and 1,751 in March — 1,284 for men and 467 for women.
The winter plan calls for D.C. to make the 1,635 beds available in November and to add 143 beds by January, the height of the season.
An ICH spokesperson said the 2025 plan will mark the second year the majority of overflow beds are located in buildings that can function as year-round shelters. Previously, Department of Parks and Recreation centers served as the primary overflow sites and did not offer beds year-round.
“This is a seismic shift in the system, and we are grateful to our partners at DHS and DGS for stewarding this significant pivot,” the spokesperson said in an email.
ICH will activate the overflow shelters — which typically operate from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. — when there are 20 combined low-barrier and overflow beds available for men and 10 for women, a threshold the city is currently meeting most nights. Once an overflow shelter is opened, the plan states D.C. will make “every effort” to keep the space open through the season.
Eight locations will offer a total of 563 overflow beds for men — 801 East Shelter, Emery, the Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV), the CCNV drop-in center, Mt. Moriah, Penn Ave Baptist SE, KBEC Family Life, and Church of the Epiphany. Year-round shelters at 801, Emery, New York Avenue, Adams Place, and Living Life Alternatives will remain open.
Three shelters will offer 163 overflow beds for women — Eve’s Place at Adam’s Place Day Center, CCNV, and Pat Handy Swing Space. Harriet Tubman, Patricia Handy, Saint Josephine Bakhita, and Living Life Alternatives will continue to offer yearround beds.
At an ICH meeting on June 26, one member said D.C. typically offers fewer beds for women than needed because the Point in Time Count, which measures how many people sleep in shelters on a given night, does not reflect the fact many women don’t feel comfortable spending the whole night at the shelter.
It’s unclear if the city’s newest shelter, the Aston, will open in time for hypothermia season. A May plan said the Aston, located at 1129 New Hampshire Ave. in Northwest D.C, would open in August and start at a capacity of 50 people. Now, however, officials have delayed the opening indefinitely after the building failed an inspection. This marks the fifth time the District has delayed opening the shelter since 2023. The shelter will be D.C.’s first non-congregate shelter, a type of shelter that offers private spaces for individuals, couples, and families.
By Nov. 1, ICH said the city will update the list of warming sites for the general population, which are activated during cold weather emergencies and consist of public buildings like libraries, recreation centers, and senior wellness centers. The updated list will be available at https://snow.dc.gov/.
Feedback from last year’s plan
ICH’s Emergency Response and Shelter Operations (ERSO) committee reviewed feedback from partners on last year’s winter plan, which included requests D.C. provide more consistent information on shelters with extended operating hours during weather emergencies, give notifications for hypothermia alerts, and increase access to hot meals. The partners — District agencies and shelter capacity, family system, and youth forums — also shared concerns about reports of people experiencing homelessness struggling to enter shelters late at night, and requested improved customer service for the shelter hotline. They requested ICH provide “clarity” on the availability and accessibility of warming buses and the transportation schedule. In last year’s plan, ICH said the city may place warming buses near encampments if the temperature is forecasted to be 15 degrees or below.
To improve communication surrounding operating hours and available beds, ICH said it will develop “standard templates” by Oct. 31 that include the hours for warming centers, low-barrier shelters, overflow and seasonal shelters, hours and locations of warming buses, and updates to transportation schedules.
ICH also identified updates it plans to integrate into the plan when resources become available, including a transportation schedule for taking people experiencing homelessness to shelters and overflow locations. ICH’s ERSO committee will meet monthly to review feedback and concerns with the plan and update the implementation process as needed.
ICH said it will advertise the plan and available resources via social media, Metro advertisements, public service announcements, newspapers, business cards, press releases, and HopeOneSource — a free text message application that connects service providers and agencies to clients. People can sign up for the service at hsema.dc.gov/page/alertdc or HopeOneSource at hopeonesource.org/dc.
Anyone unsure of whether D.C. has implemented a hypothermia alert can contact the shelter hotline at (202) 399-7093 or visit www.dhs.dc.gov.
Photo courtesy of Yohan Marion via Unsplash
FEATURE
At one building, the fight for better housing conditions never ends
DONTE KIRBY Deputy Editor
How many maintenance requests can go unanswered before a tenant should get the city involved, sue, or withhold rent? The process of making sure a building is up to D.C.’s housing code can be arduous, a fact the tenants of one Southwest building know all too well.
Luis Macias-Montenegro has lived at Capital Park Tower on G Street for nine years, the last two with his husband, Bill Townsend. Since last year, Macias-Montenegro has tried to get the building management to address security concerns, rodent infestation, and issues with the fire alarms in the apartment complex, filing complaints with the D.C. Department of Buildings (DOB), the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, and, eventually, D.C.’s Office of
the Attorney General. The complaints, filed in 2023, led to a DOB inspector visiting the building and issuing a violation to the owners of Capital Park Tower, Macias-Montenegro said.
In fact, the DOB database currently shows the property has 71 open violations of the housing code, dating back to 2018. The agency has issued 110 Notices of Infractions at the property since fiscal year 2020, including nearly 50 the building management has yet to pay the resulting fines for, totaling $66,000. These aren’t uniquely high numbers, but they represent an issue tenants across the city face.
When a tenant feels their landlord is letting conditions deteriorate and housing code violations pile up, the first line of defense is the DOB, which can inspect properties and require their owners to make repairs or fine the properties if conditions violate the housing code. The fines DOB
issues (in the case of Capitol Park Tower, ranging from $118 to $4,428) are supposed to incentivize landlords to proactively fix housing issues and provide adequate service to tenants. But the reality, tenants like Townsend and MaciasMontenegro say, is that issues are often only fixed after DOB gets involved. If they don’t, housing conditions and quality of life can deteriorate.
“The difficulty that lies in forcing management to take action and the burden of proof we have is very heavy on us,” Townsend said. “There’s no mechanism for us to force management to do better.”
The property manager and owner of the Capitol Park Tower apartments at 301 G St. SW is Urban Investment Partners (UIP). Over the years, tenants have complained the company’s property managers have responded to maintenance issues and
Out front of Capital Park Tower, billed as a luxury apartment. Photo by Donte Kirby
security concerns with hostility and derision. Many residents spoke out after a pair of fires in 2022 and 2023, which tenants said were preventable. Management at the Onyx, a building in Navy Yard, was so poor, according to tenants, that the Navy Yard Advisory Neighborhood Commission passed a resolution asking the District to revoke UIP’s business license in July of last year.
Lisa Wright is the tenant association president at Capital Park Tower and has lived in the building for four years. Since she’s been there, she estimates there have been 15 fires, and says UIP has done little to fix the resulting damage or prevent further ones. After the 2022 and 2023 fires, residents complained the building’s fire alarms weren’t loud enough to hear from their bedrooms — and Macias-Montenegro still harbors the same concerns. Eighteen of the currently open violations at the property are about fire safety, ranging from a lack of instructions about what to do when a fire alarm goes off to a lack of fire extinguishers. DOB found many of the violations in the months following the 2022 and 2023 fires, according to the database.
It took three years to fix a broken lock in the basement, according to tenant association vice president Timothy Seals. It took over a year and an inspection from DOB to fix fire damage that was causing gnats to infest apartment units, according to Wright. Flies infested apartments and garbage piled out from the trash room into the hallway before staff fixed a broken trash compactor, Seals said.
And a family friend of Macias-Montenegro, an older Venezuelan woman, complained to management about a gas leak but was ignored for 14 hours until Townsend stepped in and advocated on her behalf as a white English speaker, according to Macias-Montenegro and Townsend.
Staff with UIP at Capital Park Towers declined to comment on their management of the building. UIP corporate staff did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Countless tenants across D.C. face similar battles, according to lawyers at the Children’s Law Center (CLC). The legal nonprofit advocates for children to access health care and education, but it also is part of a unique Medical-Legal
partnership (or MLP), in which staff receive referrals from doctors about housing conditions like mold or lead that impact a child’s health. With this referral, a CLC lawyer then steps in to advocate for the client in Housing Conditions Court.
Kathy Zeisel is the director of special legal projects with CLC, and she’s worked with the nonprofit for 15 years. Its advocacy, along with that of other nonprofits and tenant advocates, was instrumental in getting the D.C. Department of Consumer Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) to split into two agencies, the DOB and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, with the hope the split would allow the city to more efficiently respond to tenant concerns, and the creation of the Housing Conditions Court by retired judge Melvin Wright.
But Zeisel says many landlords still refuse to fix violations to the D.C. housing code, like mold, malfunctioning fire alarms, and unsecured entrances to the building. She also says the worst offenders are often repeat ones — and that taking them to court in each instance is often ineffective and can take months to resolve.
“A lot of the times it’s the same landlords or same property management companies over and over,” she said. “We would much rather have the city be the ones going in and seeing the systemic problems and dealing with them on both an individual and systems level.”
If a tenant has complaints about housing conditions and the landlord isn’t fixing them in a timely manner, the tenant has four options: report the landlord to DOB, wait for the inspection and watch the fines pile up; take the landlord to Housing Conditions Court and sue to have the issues fixed; put rent in escrow until the issue is fixed; or go on a rent strike. The last two options both put the tenant at risk of being sued by the landlord.
To help navigate these options, there are advocacy groups like D.C. Legal Aid, CLC, and the district agency, and the Office of the Tenant Advocate. But the DOB is the city’s primary watchdog for housing issues and should be the first call when housing code violations are involved. DOB urges tenants to report any suspected housing and property maintenance violations to DOB at dob.dc.gov or 202-671-3500.
Since the DCRA split on Oct 1, 2022, DOB has increased its rate of inspections. The agency performed an average of 22,488 housing inspections in the six years before the split, and an average of 40,598 in the two years after, according to the DOB database. But those inspections aren’t translating into meaningfully improved conditions for tenants, the CLC has found.
Makenna Osborn, a policy attorney at CLC, tried to explain the root causes of this discrepancy at a Committee of the Whole performance oversight hearing for DOB in February. She said that although DOB was conducting more complaintbased and proactive housing code inspections, many of the 28,057 resulting violations weren’t corrected by landlords. Only 38% of violations found after complaints in FY 2023 were abated or resolved in that same year, according to a DOB report.
“After years of this ineffective level of timely correction, there are currently 53,710 unabated housing code violations impacting 11,739 tenant households in the District,” Osborn said at the hearing.
According to a DOB spokesperson, abatement rates are improving, with a 39.7% increase in housing code violations that were confirmed abated in the last fiscal year. When landlords don’t fix violations, DOB can refer the case to the Office of Administrative Hearings, but the hearing process can take years, the DOB spokesperson wrote. For instance, 48 infractions at Capitol Park Tower are currently in the adjudication process.
Capital Park Tower tenants are well-acquainted with the complaint process. Seals, the tenant association vice president,
has lived in the building for 22 years and recalls when tenants would walk to the nearby DCRA offices to make a complaint.
“DCRA knew this was a problem building. [DCRA’s office] was right down the street, people used to walk right down there,” Seals said.
“There’s no mechanism for us to force management to do better.”
- Bill Townsend
Seals recalls the building was once fined for asbestos. But now he can’t find proof of that or other fixed violations, because DOB removes detailed data on violations from the violations dashboard once an issue is fixed, though some information is available on the enforcement dashboard. It’s a problem CLC notes often confuses tenants, especially because landlords don’t always notify tenants when a violation is fixed.
Seals tries to inform UIP management at the building of issues and tenant complaints, but he says he never gets far.
“When you give notice three or four times, eventually you stop beating a dead horse,” he said.
While DOB has increased proactive inspections, they are limited by capacity constraints. CLC is advocating for DOB to strategically target enforcement through proactive inspections of buildings likely to have the worst conditions, so the burden is not solely on tenants like Macias-Montenegro and Townsend to make complaints. The Proactive Inspection Program Act, which the D.C. Council passed, would increase the rate of inspections if it is funded in next year’s budget.
In the meantime, a DOB spokesperson stressed the agency needs tenants to report any potential violations the landlord hasn’t fixed to ensure their homes are up to code. Tenants can view the housing code standards on the DOB website. If a tenant has a question about if a specific violation has been fixed, they can contact DOB.
Despite everything, tenants at Capital Park Tower say they still wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. The building is uniquely affordable — Townsend estimates rent for the same kind of apartment in the area would cost $800-1200 more a month. For Wright, it’s the size of the units that keep her there. Seals has lived there for over two decades and values the sense of community, although he said that since people have moved out in the last years due to the conditions, he now knows a lot less of his neighbors.
“We as a community are frustrated, because why do I need to leave the place that I like, the community that I love, the location that I love?” Macias-Montenegro said. “It’s not tenant responsibility, it’s a property management responsibility. And if we move out, it basically keeps procrastinating the problem, giving them the continued room to do whatever they want to do.”
The question is, how can tenants make their landlord more proactive? UIP isn’t the worst building owner or management the building has ever had, Seals said, but tenants still deal with negligence.
“If it’s a spark, they’ll ignore it until it becomes a fire,” said Seals.
Overflowing trash at Capitol Park Tower due to issues with garbage collection. Photo provided by Luis Macias-Montenegro
Who is Invisible Prophet?
INVISIBLE PROPHET
Content warning: This article references suicide and abuse.
I’d like to tell you about my highly intelligent friend named “K.” We were introduced through a suicide prevention support group that connects sponsors. She was on step seven for her wellness when she said “I’m not ready to sponsor anyone.” Throughout our conversations, we built a friendship supporting each other in the best way without God.
There are disagreements between her heart and mine; however, we are brave in venting our journeys to heal trauma. She’ll ask me what I’ve learned using dialectical behavior therapy and if it works on others’ emotionally unhealed behaviors. Our honesty in setting healthy boundaries within our friendship builds a foundation to heal as generation cycle breakers.
We’ll share what works and what does not when we are interacting with other unhealed humans. It can be a challenge sometimes because we can be so agitated with anxiety. Then we take breaks not speaking to each other, and then reconnecting like we were just introduced. Recently, I asked K if I could write about our friendship and conversations regarding our mental wellness. She said, “Yes.”
It brightened her spirit, but some days suggest everlasting conflicts with trauma and self-awareness. Knowing K has been a learning curve because I’ve learned more about myself and others in society. There are individuals who intentionally hurt other human beings, whether they use the mental health or disability community, without a conscience.
Invisible Prophet’s point of view suggests an incomprehensible overview of the mediocre belief of turning a “blind eye” to abusive behavior that is out of control in society. I take the time to sit with individuals who have no one, and the assumption will be “I’m a people pleaser.” That is a derogatory statement for anyone to make, especially in the mental health industry.
We are all human beings, suggesting an apparent overdose of overprescribed psych meds is doping up our emotional trauma. The state forgets about the abusers because that’s the world, and they won’t be held accountable for the destruction they caused to another life. If we set goals for our wellness and “live frank,” we are ostracized and targeted.
Then there are the empty opinions of people who think they are so educated on the mental health community and there’s nothing wrong with their lives. That’s the most dangerous type
of person living in society among the enablers — the ones who seek delusional order, portray a forced reality, and control the minds of the supposed weak-minded individuals living with fearful mindsets.
In dialectical behavior therapy, there is a skill under tolerance named radical acceptance. K and I discuss this all the time. How do we work through radical acceptance with the lack of behavioral tolerance within society? The misassumption is individuals who live with suicidal ideation or have attempted suicide and lived to tell their story are incapable of taking care of themselves.
There is also another false claim within the mental health industry, which is that we all live on the same level of lived experience. PTSD is different for everyone, especially for those who are vets, active military, and civilians. Government officials, therapists, and psychologists suggest we are all alike, and that is creating societal fear.
Invisible Prophet advocates for my lived experience and the disproportionate harm in the mental health industry.
The primary DSM-5 code for PTSD is F43.10. Under this code, it states paranoia is a symptom of PTSD, however, that does not apply to individuals in domestic violence matters, stalking, rape, assault, child abuse, or others. This is an issue forcing trauma victims, survivors, and achievers to believe suggestive tactics for what happened to them are made up to protect the abuser.
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council reported that when screening for suicide attempts, one health center found 33% of their patients have attempted suicide. The suicide rate for veterans was 57.3% greater than for non-veteran U.S. adults. CDC reports suicide rates increased 37% in the years 2000-2018, and rates returned to their peak in 2022. Everyone is forced to believe all those call centers work, and they do not.
I had the opportunity to discuss these matters while visiting conferences on mental health. The issue is government individuals make decisions for the mental health and disability communities. My advocacy is lived experience discussing how I live with a condition, not a mental illness. This is not denial. I live with childhood trauma as a condition because every day is recovery, learning how to respond and not react mindfully for my wellness.
There are different types of mental illness and conditions, like nonverbal, autistic, ADHD, PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar,
depression, anxiety, and others. Many of us live as “high functioning,” and others do not have the ability to learn recovery through educational tools in emotional regulation.
I choose healing over enabling abusive behavior in all aspects of life. No one is perfect, and there are no expectations, just a matter of understanding other living souls and using this as a tool in advocacy education. If, collectively, we sat down to learn to grow in healing, humanity would acknowledge the abusers of the world are united. I’ve learned at these conferences the importance of my heart space.
Someone suggested I introduce Invisible Prophet. Invisible is to be seen and not heard, to be obedient and compliant, and to conform to societal standards. Silence is the devil’s prayer. Prophet is the hate projected by individuals who call themselves “God.” The devil walks amongst us when a leader preys on the mentally ill in journalism.
I, Invisible Prophet, “challenge” the male dominance of emasculated little boys pretending to be men who feel power over a woman who will not obey them. Their disobedience of a woman defies creation’s “dogma,” slating her growth and wellness. No one is human when they create harm for another soul, demonstrating copycat energy.
Invisible Prophet is a beautiful soul because she stands alone, a warrior who does not need to feel the presence of a man who hates women and himself. No one man can be the existence of a “god who is the devil,” manipulating women to their liking. If you have to copy my words and thoughts to seek a boy’s attention, you are nonexistent in my aura.
I am demi-sexual. I connect to highly emotionally intelligent humans who choose not to hurt others while using an “I am god” mentality. No one can believe, especially women, that I am not attracted to men without throwing my autonomy around like candy. I am definitely not connected to a “boys will be boys” mental state. I will vomit at their grotesque smells and violence.
This is dedicated to the voiceless who have passed by their hand, bullies, abusers, groomers, traffickers, cults, kidnappers, imprisoners, and others actions covered up with the notification of “deemed as a suicide.” September was suicide prevention month, and honestly, nothing has changed with the behavior of others creating unhealthy “god-like prayers.”
Invisible Prophet is an artist/vendor with Street Sense Media.
JEFFERY
MCNEIL
Artist/Vendor
I‘ve never written a book, but here I am, giving it my best shot. This story isn’t just about a character who’s been knocked down repeatedly — it’s about finding a way to stand back up when the world tells you to stay down. It’s about grit, determination, and refusing to let failure be the final word.
“The Grind” is my attempt to write about what it means to lose everything, only to find a way back despite all the odds and doubters. Like many, I’ve had dreams I didn’t chase. But
now, I’m taking that first step — writing this book. I hope Jackson Terry’s journey resonates with others who’ve faced obstacles, felt stuck, or doubted themselves.
This is the first chapter of “The Grind.” I invite you to follow this story, hoping my journey to chase success will spark something in you, too.
The Grind begins on the next page.....
Chapter One: The rock bottom
They say a wise man builds his house on a rock — but did anyone ever ask Jackson Terry about how that turns out? He was huddled beneath a jagged jetty, trying to shield himself from the howling winds and icy rain as fall descended like a hammer. Summer’s warmth was gone, replaced by a bitter chill that settled deep into his bones as if trying to freeze him from the inside out.
When it rains, it pours, and life had been pummeling Jackson like a Mike Tyson punch. Last week, he’d been evicted, tossed out like trash. Soon after, he lost his job — no income, no place to go, nothing left but the crumpled bills in his wallet and a gnawing sense of failure. He wanted to die, to slip into oblivion and be done with it all. But no matter how much he wished for an end, he kept waking up, forced to face the wreckage of his life, again and again.
So he drank. He drank to drown the pain, to numb the hopelessness, to pass out and forget the cold, the rain, and the shame. Drinking was easier than thinking, easier than dealing with the reality of what his life had become.
As Jackson slept, curled in his heavy coat, a junkie slipped through the shadows, light on his feet. His fingers crept into Jackson’s jacket pocket, and his wallet was gone in seconds. His ID and his last few bucks disappeared into the night as easily as hope had slipped away from his life.
When Jackson woke, the world felt heavier, and the cold bit deeper. It wasn’t until he patted his pockets that he realized he’d been robbed. Now, he wasn’t just broke — he was faceless, invisible in a world that required proof of existence. Panic flared in his chest, sharp and hot, but it didn’t last. His mind was too fogged from the rum, his thoughts too sluggish to grasp the gravity of his situation.
Drunk and desperate, rational thinking was a luxury Jackson couldn’t afford. The impulse hit him hard — if he was going down, he might as well gamble what little he had left. It wasn’t a plan. It was an escape, one last desperate throw of the dice. Maybe the casino would be kinder than life had been.
But deep down, Jackson knew better. He knew the house always wins. The casino was greedy and devoured fortunes, dreams, and souls. It was where people went to lose everything, not just their money. Everyone talked about winning, but nobody won. Not in the end. And a drunk, homeless man sleeping under a pier was no match for the house.
It wasn’t just bad luck or poor choices that brought Jackson here. He was bipolar, a condition that swung him between moments of unrivaled brilliance and self-destructive bouts of depression. The highs made him feel untouchable, capable of anything. But the lows? They buried him alive, suffocating him under waves of despair.
Alcohol didn’t help, but it dulled the edges when the darkness crept in. When Jackson took his medication, he could keep things together — barely. But lately, the meds had stopped working, or maybe he’d stopped caring. Either way, he was teetering on the edge of one of the most destructive episodes of his life, and he knew it.
The more he drank, the more reckless he became. And now, he was on the verge of losing control in the cold light of day — or what passed for the day under Atlantic City’s grim skies. Jackson slumped into a chair at the poker table. He chose the riskiest game in the house: no-limit Texas Hold ‘em.
The sharks at the table eyed the fresh meat, ready to devour whatever chips he laid down. Jackson knew their type, pros who lived off the desperation of men like him. And like all suckers, he kept losing, hand after hand, calling every bet, dumping his meager stack into the pot without a second thought.
Then, he looked down and saw pocket aces.
It was every poker player’s dream — a monster hand. Jackson’s heart raced. He had just $100 left. The action was fast and brutal. One guy, another bum like him, shoved all his chips into the center of the table. Another player followed suit. Jackson didn’t even think; he pushed his chips in, riding on a prayer.
He was down to a chip and a chair.
The cards flipped. His aces against queens and jacks. The flop hit: a ten, then a queen. His stomach sank as the queens hit a set. It was over.
But then, the turn blanked, and on the river, an ace.
Jackson stared at the table, hardly believing his eyes. He’d hit three aces, cracking the queens and jacks. He’d won.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.
Time wasted, but not wasted time
REGINALD DENNY Artist/Vendor
Life is what you make it. I heard it said, but I dare to differ, because, truth be told, we don’t run nothing but our mouths and life happens to us all, good, bad, or indifferent, without our permission. We only have a certain amount of control and Sugar Honey Ice Tea just happens, regardless of how we feel. The only thing left to do is to do the best we can in any given situation or circumstance and hope for the best outcome. That’s life.
Looking back over the years, I can truly say, I’ve been blessed beyond measure even when I thought I didn’t deserve it. Life is filled with so many challenges, ups and downs, setbacks, setups, and unfairness. Every day there is something new to learn and/or someone or something you can spurn. It just ain’t easy being me. We covet what’s not ours and take what belongs to someone else, not caring about those on the receiving end. We never intend to hurt or demean others in the process but Sugar Honey Ice Tea happens to us all at some point in our lives.
Life is a learning tree and is full of instructions, directives, directions, rules, and regulations that may not be deemed favorable to an individual, person, or people for whatever reason. We are forever learning and it may not feel good sometimes, but in the end, “it is good for us.” “As children, we listen more to what parents do as opposed to what they say.” It is my belief that I’d rather see your sermon than listen to it. I hear your words, but I’d rather see your works!!! It is a better return, which is actual and factual, precise and correct.
Are you listening to this student who’s in a humble posture of learning, even at the ripe age of 60-years-young? I’m far from stupid, “I am a dumb-intelligent genius!” “And I don’t run nothing but my mouth!” I found out!!!
Very early on in life for me, I thought I had it all figured out… This thing called life. See, in my mind, I was grown, adult-like, as opposed to being a 12-year-old boy in junior high school. As I mentioned, instead I cited myself to be “a dumb-intelligent genius” who had the moves and knew all the screws to turn to keep my game tight and right!!! So I thought. When real life showed up, it was an entirely different situation. God rest her soul, my mom was always on point, but as children, we always thought they were just old and did not understand what was going on out here in deez streets; so I thought my mindset and my perception was that I had it all figured out. I know what I’m doing, or so I thought. I remember Mama telling me that “a hard head makes a soft ass” and “a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush.”
That’s when real life began to show up with all its inconsistencies. I would be remissed if I did not mention my early years of trying to navigate this life with its differences and prejudices as an adolescent, growing up without a father in the home from whom to mimic and follow behind in learning how to be a man. This is where my self-intuition kicked in and I guarantee you that what I saw in front of me and what I experienced as I went through my life and living took me by surprise, especially when I found out that I don’t run nothing but my mouth. “Oh what a tangled web we weave.” I thought I was grown.
I can remember the days of old when I used to play red light green light, hide and seek, boys chase the girls, 4-corners, double dutch, penny pitch, and ring around the rosey. Everything was so simple then. And it was then I graduated, not from school but to my own train of thought without the proper apparatus, to having these tumultuous rivers of life that I landed right in the middle of, and I was beginning to sink ‘cause I was headed in the wrong direction. I needed saving but low self-esteem, false pride, and arrogance got in the way of me asking for help. I did not need the wonderful wise words from my mother about being careful about the company you keep, because you will end up becoming just like them. That’s where a lot of adversity begin in me, in my mind and in my life. Often we waste time with menial stuff which possesses very little benefits, instead of keeping first things first as opposed to foolishness. When my next installation of this writing is penned we will start at The Boys and Girls Club #9 located in the northeast quadrant of the District of Columbia, Washington, aka “Chocolate City!!” Peace out and stay tuned….
Illustration by Reginald Denny
Staying strong
TONYA WILLIAMS Artist/Vendor
Every morning, I feed my bird and my squirrel because they belong to God and it makes me happy to feed them. When I see them eating, I realize how much I love the beautiful sky, the colorful flowers, and everything God made. And he said, “it is good.” Everything he does is good. We are blessed and grateful for our father.
I lost my mother on May 28. I’m very sad and I miss her terribly. But the good thing about it is I know she is with him. She is on the train with Jesus. He did not lie when he promised we would meet again. His words are good. He is the one keeping me strong so that if I lose someone again I know it will be okay.
They are making more homeless
SAUL PRESA
It’s hard to understand why we give money to other countries to use for “war” and send soldiers to fight other people’s ideologies when everyone at home is trying to survive daily life, struggling for food.
The Republican states are taking the small farmer’s businesses and land, creating an economic crisis by increasing prices and reducing the land available to cultivate. What would the soldier who believes he would die for his country think now?
What about their families? What about those who were deported, taking their families away? What do the armed forces do for them and their families? Think about those who fall short of death, but are still living under stress by being handicapped.
Human declaration of independence 2024
WILLIE FUTRELLE Artist/Vendor
I have a message for the leaders of our world governments! My name is human! I am calling you out! You are running the people like businesses! We see you, and it is about damn time we spoke up!
We are sick of your crap! Right here, right now, we are putting you on notice! Clean up or we will clean house! You are sitting around while children die! Wasting our taxes on bombs that are destroying our planet! Using the people as resources against each other! Keeping us divided with the technologies meant to help us! You are in the pocket of big business! Fighting over the resources of our planet with the very money you take from us! Leaving us with nothing but dreams of peace!
I am motioning the leaders of the world to talk about world peace! I am motioning the governments of the world to talk in quorum about worldwide equal rights for members of the human species.
People of Earth, be brave like me, please!?! Raise your voices! I will hold the light forward for us! If we work together, we the people can fix Earth before pollution from greed and war wipes our species out! We need a world that is equal for all of us! We need new leadership in every seat! Even if we have to write someone’s name in! Give our rights back! TIME for CHANGE!
Surface
CARLOS CAROLINA Artist/Vendor
I knew as a young man that I was a blessed man.
I’m one of His soldiers!!
Though at times it gets hard for me to hold my composure and show you, without saying I told you.
Gotta be humble.
Stay focused.
And still stand strong with pride. Even though that’s what they say you should swallow a lot.
I just wanna thank God.
For once you understand that everything you go through is to make you a better you.
Stay true.
Have faith.
And see what blessings do.
One thing for sure, two things for certain, as long as you know your worth, you’ll know your purpose.
Know you’re needed.
Know you’re worth it.
Because you’re for sure and that’s for certain.
So..
SURFACE.
Street Sense
Artist/Vendor
Started my life as a vendor. Trains me in new life skills. Reaches out to help people. Earn income with the community. Encouraged to support myself. Teaches me connection with people.
Something going better in my life. Enjoy time with my friends. New people with new journeys. Supporting me in a safe place. Empowers me to change the world.
Love yourself
GRETA CHRISTIAN Artist/Vendor
Loving yourself means putting yourself first even if that sounds selfish at times.
But you have to make sure you are well taken care of by yourself before you even think about taking care of others.
So, how much DO you love yourself? A little?
In the middle? Or a lot?
You can’t be in a relationship when you don’t love yourself because then you can’t love someone else.
The problem is not with giving love. It’s accepting love. When you don’t love yourself, you will have trouble.
Believe another person who tells you how much they care about you.
Practicing that will help people get along well all over the world, just as the Bible tells us to do.
Help the homeless
FREDERICK WALKER Artist/Vendor
The D.C. Housing Authority should not cut housing. Mayor Muriel Bowser shouldn’t cut transportation. The D.C. government should make more housing for the homeless. Bowser should not cut the Circulator. D.C. government, thank you so much. Councilmember Robert White, thank you so much for helping the homeless.
The person I admire
MARC GRIER
Artist/Vendor
Is Camille and she is my wife. She is a person who always gives everything of herself. She’s the type of person who, if she only has one, she’ll give that one to you to make your day better. She’s a spiritual woman and wants the best for everyone. She’s always listening and caring. That’s what I love about her most.
Artist/Vendor
SURYAKANTI BEHERA
Illustration by Willie Futrelle
Fall
is calling
CHON GOTTI
Artist/Vendor
As the leaves begin to change
And the air turns crisp and cool
I feel the shift in the season
The beginning of fall, so beautiful
The trees are painted in hues
Of orange, red, and gold
Nature’s masterpiece unfolding
A sight to behold
The sun sets a little earlier
The nights grow longer too
But there’s a certain magic
In the autumnal view
The scent of pumpkin spice
Lingers in the air
As we cozy up with blankets
And cups of hot cocoa to share
The harvest moon rises high
Casting a soft, silvery glow
A reminder of the cycles of life
And the beauty they bestow
The sound of rustling leaves
Beneath our feet as we walk
A symphony of nature’s orchestra
A gentle, soothing talk
The animals prepare for winter
Gathering food and building nests
A time of preparation and reflection
Before the season’s rest
The fields are ready for harvest
The bounty of the land
A time of thankfulness and gratitude
For the fruits that nature hands
The days may grow cooler
But our hearts are warmed within
As we embrace the changing season
And all the beauty it brings
So let us welcome fall with open arms
Embracing its colors and its chill
For at the beginning of autumn
There’s a sense of peace and thrill
A time of transition and change
A season of reflection and growth
The beginning of fall is upon us
And it fills my heart with hope
A day in my life
BRIANNA BUTLER Artist/Vendor
I look at the sky counting each curve on a cloud, watching it move easily, focusing on the light that shines through it. It is so-so-so bright! It says “I am here to embrace you with strength and courage.” I get a feeling that I can make it to the end of my day with triumph.
I walk barefoot in the river, flowing gently on its pebbles. My inner being is really restored. Then I’m at the playground on a swing letting my hair soar wild and free while my body releases with joy.
When I get home, I pull a quilt from my closet and lie cozily against the fireplace as my body reinvigorates and gets ready for my tomorrow.
Markquelle’s birthday
DARLESHA JOYNER
Artist/Vendor
As you all know, I have been able to spend my children’s birthdays with them year after year. Markquelle just turned seven years old. I knew I saw this day coming. My mom only made four of my birthdays before she passed, and my dad seven before he passed away. This year we went to Six Flags as a family for the first time for his birthday.
Shoutout to my tent city family
LATICIA BROCK
Artist/Vendor
On them cold nights, breathing hot breaths to keep each other warm and keeping each other up or down.
Sharing food on the daily, using each others’ phones to keep us in touch with loved ones and keeping each others’ sanity.
I want to give a huge shoutout to my tent city family!
Life Bazaar: At the juncture of O’Keeffe and Erato
FREDERIC JOHN Artist/Vendor
A most persuasive “earworm” entered my soul and brainpan this weekend while preparing to mourn my great confrère “powerhouse” Johnson, who sang and drummed for my Etufé jazz combo.
The wandering, wonderful “worm” I speak of is James “Thunderbird” Davis, who plied the Texas-New Orleans corridor so gracefully in the 1950s and ‘60s. “Blue Monday” is, for me, the most momentous of his beautiful melancholy ballads. At the break in D.C.’s latest heat wave, I was letting “Blue Monday” course through my consciousnes, recalling my days on Canal Street shortly before the descent of Katrina in 2005’s limpid, louche summer.
We were staying in the funky Sleep Inn on O’Keeffe, off Erato Street. Now, Erato is only the lead in the hefty procession of byways in NoLa christened after Greek muses: Thalia, Terpsichore, Melpomene, Clio, and Erato privinavily. Not having any particular place to go, but having won a small pot ‘o gold at fair grounds race course the day before, well!
Only fair to bestow a box of wings (bought at Popeye’s) on Henry, the scab-faced, mackintosh-garbed “rum-bum” who occupied an empty doorway opposite our hotel. “Why yadin hav ta do dat” Henry protested, as he drew the crispy chicken closer.
“Have some,” he offered magnanimously. Kitty and I took him up on the offer, laid a few single bills before him, and ambled over to the “Cemeteries” trolley-car stand.
The steam was rising menacingly off the rails going up and in Canal. We squeezed out a dry patch of shade at the corner of the kiosk. A downcast young woman in short neat pigtails and a floral-print frock slouched nearby. “Want some shade?” I asked her.
“Nah, I’m just bored,” she murmured.
“Here in New Orleans? Not possible –”
“Oh yeah. Just waitin’ for September.” She paused. “I’m s’posed to start nursin’ program. Out in Kansas.”
Kitty shared with this girl, whose name was Lindy, that she’d been a waitress, and then a nurse, “way back when.”
The big red streetcar charged up, and we boarded. Lindy was staying put, so we wished her all the best and good luck. We stayed on til Ursuline’s, which was where many good Catholic ladies went to be matriculated.
We had beignets at Cafe Du Monde and crossed the steamy plaza of St. Louis Cathedral. Dang if old Archibald the street guitarist, who may or nay not have been the coauthor of “Iko, Iko,” wasn’t up Bourbon near where it changes back to Carondelet — what the folks call the American section. I couldn’t believe he was sitting on his bucket seat with coins and bills all around, and singing “Blue Monday. Blue Monday, I ain’t got a dame to call any over.. Aint handle any lovin’, My good all done let me down.” We stayed, sang along, gave money. [Catch the right train, I can sing any train songs you want. And who was Katrina anyhoo?]
Illustration by Frederic John
FUN & GAMES
the political season
Across
1. East and West parts of the U.S.
7. Cotton bundle
11. ___ Lilly and Co.
14. Misbehave (2 wds.) (3,3)
15. Astronaut Bean or Shepard
16. Camp sack
17. Going house-to-house or attending large events handing out political flyers
19. Some sports event nail-biters, for short (abbr./initialism)
20. Hawaiian veranda (or island west of Maui)
21. Abominable Snowman
22. Choir part
23. “___ questions?”
24. Financial contribution to a candidate’s or issue’s fundraising entity (2 wds.) (3,8)
27. Big name in calculators and watches
29. Residue from Mt. St. Helens or my stash of Havanas
30. Dry ink with absorbent paper
32. Massage deeply
35. June birthstone
39. Song or gab add-on
40. Animal catcher
42. Varieties (SILK anagram)
43. Palestinian political party, with Al
45. Hearty one-pot meal
46. Opening for a coin or a scheduled activity
47. Worker in a garden
49. Mother in the legendary Country Music duo The Judds
51. Lending of one’s name and/or express statements of support to particular candidates or issues
56. Govt. agency that has your number (abbr./init.)
59. Baby marsupial
60. Seattle Reign or Santa’s reindeer, e.g. 61. Scrabble pieces
63. East ender?
64. Balloons, paper hats and noisemakers...or a hint to to 17-, 24- and 51-Across (2 wds.) (5,6)
66. Activity behind police tape, for short (abbr./init.)
67. Situation that leads to 19-Across (2 wds.) (1,3)
68. Dead cellphones, old tablets and the like (1-5) (WET SEA anagram)
69. President pro ___ (Lat. abbr.)
70. Pizza ingredients?
71. Subject to a tirade (2 wds.) (4,2)
Down
1. Kind of lily
2. Neptune’s realm
3. With no regard whatever for what one may have to pay (3 wds.) (2,3,4)
4. Living room crash site?
5. Dutch export
6. Office address abbr.
7. With ___ breath (showing anticipation)
8. Supreme Court justice Samuel
9. Pacific weather phenomenon that is the
cause of weird weather (2 wds.) (2,4) (Sp.)
10. High school subj. (abbr.)
11. Gastroenteritis cause
12. Numbers game
13. “____ me “My treat”) (2 wds.) (3,2)
18. Captains of industry like Gates, Musk, etc.
22. Belief based in non-belief
25. Broadcasts
26. Cleopatra biter
28. Encouraging word to a lad or a gent
30. Texter’s bud (abbr./init,)
31. Grazing area
33. Back muscle, familiarly
34. Portmanteau word for a rival you kind of like
36. “Everything we had is gone!” (3 wds.) (3,2,4) (STALL LOIS anagram)
57. Company that employs individuals to sleep on the job
58. Black ink item
62. “Terrible” czar
64. La ___, Bolivia
65. Go-____ (low- or no-paid errand runner)
This crossword puzzle is the original work of Patrick “Mac”McIntyre. It is provided to us courtesy of Real Change News, a street paper based in Seattle, Washington. Learn more about Real Change News and the International Network of Street Papers at realchangenews.org and insp.ngo.
It’s the Political Season
Puzzle by Patrick “Mac” McIntyre
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Housing/Shelter Vivienda/alojamiento Case Management Coordinación de Servicios
Academy of Hope Public Charter School
202-269-6623 // 2315 18th Pl. NE
202-373-0246 // 421 Alabama Ave. SE aohdc.org
Bread for the City 1525 7th St., NW // 202-265-2400 1700 Marion Barry Ave., SE // 202-561-8587 breadforthecity.org
Calvary Women’s Services // 202-678-2341 1217 Marion Barry Ave., SE calvaryservices.org
Samaritan Ministry 202-722-2280 // 1516 Hamilton St., NW 202-889-7702 // 1345 U St., SE samaritanministry.org
Sasha Bruce Youthwork // 202-675-9340 741 8th St., SE sashabruce.org
So Others Might Eat (SOME) // 202-797-8806 71 O St., NW some.org
St. Luke’s Mission Center // 202-363-4900 3655 Calvert St., NW stlukesmissioncenter.org
Thrive DC // 202-737-9311 1525 Newton St., NW thrivedc.org
Unity Health Care unityhealthcare.org - Healthcare for the Homeless Health Center: 202-508-0500 - Community Health Centers: 202-469-4699
1500 Galen Street SE, 1251-B Saratoga Ave NE, 1660 Columbia Road NW, 4414 Benning Road NE, 3924 Minnesota Avenue NE, 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, 850 Delaware Ave., SW, 3240 Stanton Road SE, 3020 14th Street NW, 425 2nd Street NW, 4713 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 2100 New York Avenue NE, 1333 N Street NW, 1355 New York Avenue NE, 1151 Bladensburg Rd., NE, 4515 Edson Pl., NE
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless 1200 U St., NW // 202-328-5500 legalclinic.org
The Welcome Table // 202-347-2635 1317 G St., NW. epiphanydc.org/thewelcometable
Whitman-Walker Health 1525 14th St., NW // 202-745-7000 1201 Sycamore Dr., SE whitman-walker.org
Woodley House // 202-830-3508 2711 Connecticut Ave., NW
For further information and listings, visit our online service guide at StreetSenseMedia.org/service-guide
Crew
Trader Joe’s // 1914 14th St. NW
Full-time, Part-time
Responsibilities may include: working on teams to accomplish goals, operating the cash register, bagging groceries with care, stocking shelves, creating signage, helping customers find their favorite products.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/TJ14thst
Crew Team Member
McDonald’s // Multiple locations
Full-time, Part-time
Connect with customers to ensure they have a positive experience, help customers order their favorite McDonald’s meals, prepare food, keep the restaurant clean.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/DCMCDjobs
In-Store Shopper
Albertson’s // 415 14th St. SE
Part-time
Select “the best of the best” for our online shoppers. Be quick on your feet to determine substitute products, if need be. The In-Store Shopper not only helps our online customers but those in our store as well.
REQUIRED: N/A
APPLY: tinyurl.com/albertsonsshopper
Hiring? Send your job postings to editor@StreetSenseMedia.org
